Bush will be pushing conservative agenda

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 1:00 am, Sunday, November 14, 2004

I've read a lot recently about how America needs to unite after a bitterly fought presidential campaign. People express hope that Bush will reach out to the middle to find common ground, to heal this country's wounds of divisiveness and govern with more equanimity.

I'm here to tell you that if you believe this is how he will proceed with his second term, you simply have not been paying attention. Bush said recently, "I've earned capital in this election and I'm going to spend it." This means in his mind the people of this country have given him a mandate to push through his conservative agenda.

This includes selecting ultra-conservative
Supreme Court
justices who will overturn a woman's right to choose, continuing his tax policies that favor the wealthy and increase the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, persisting with his trickle-down economics that only serve to inflate the deficit and cause more job loss, amending the Constitution to ban gay marriage and discriminate against people of another sexual orientation, expanding drilling in national wildlife refuges and continuing his record as the "worst environmental president" ever. And worst of all, continuing to send other people's children to die in a war against a nation that had nothing to do with Sept. 11 and no collaborative relationship with al-Qaida.

I'm very sad to say that this is what this country voted for on Nov. 2 and this is exactly what we are going to get. So put aside your illusions of a president who will unite this country and get ready for the most conservative agenda in decades. I only pray that in four years people will see the light and vote for a long-overdue change in priorities.